₦airaland Forum

Let keep hope alive

The Paradigm: During the difficult days of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, you often traveled into Nigeria despite the fact that the country’s security apparatchik was looking to take you down. How did you do it?

Omoyele Sowore: I wasn’t afraid of President Goodluck Jonathan or any of his officials, but it was a necessity on our part to preserve our operations. So, I did create an underground airport in the West African region.

The Paradigm: Stella Oduah, a former Minister of Aviation in the Jonathan administration SaharaReporters exposed as being corrupt, now seats as a senator of the Federal Republic. Don’t you feel, sometimes, that the exercise of exposing corruption is an exercise in futility, seeing the weaknesses or ineffectiveness of our justice system? It seems that criminals are guaranteed freedom if they steal a lot, but only the poor pay for their crimes?

Omoyele Sowore: I’d disagree slightly. Sometimes we don’t realize that some of what we do as part of an activist media has historical reverberation and futuristic impact and relevance. Part of the effects of our work will be felt in the future. In fact, some of us who are in the trenches may not get to see the full impact of the work we do. To comment specifically on Stella Oduah, I can assure you that she has hardly rested since sneaking her way into the Senate. She is still very much running from one court to another, shopping for corrupt judges to offer her some relief by subverting the course of justice. She may succeed in the short run, but in the long term, a lot of judges—even corrupt ones—are feeling the heat. They are realizing that they are under the searchlight from us and other conscientious media groups and anti-corruption groups and individuals. So the culture of impunity is, even if ever slowly, on the decline. That trend will continue, if enlightened members of society do our jobs in a principled, conscientious way.

The Paradigm: What is your advice to new appointees under the new government of Muhammadu Buhari?

Omoyele Sowore: I do not advise people in government. I have never met Buhari before in my life. I have spoken to him for interviews, but I am not interested in advising him. A man who runs for the Presidency should know what to do, and what he wants his appointees to do. My own job is different.

The Paradigm: Since the new president came on board, SaharaReporters has been soft on him. Is it that there is no dirt to report with all his activities and appointees so far?

Omoyele Sowore: Not true. Perhaps, you have not done your research. We’ve been on Buhari’s case. We have been scrutinizing his appointments, providing a robust platform for people to take him on. We have challenged him via articles, reports and cartoons about his style of governance. We came up with the story about one of his appointees having a fake doctorate degree. We reported on his wife’s desire to be “First Lady” at all cost. We called him out on the quote in Washington, DC where he said he would favor regions that voted for him more. We revealed that the Warri Refinery wasn’t working under him—and now it has shut down. You’ve probably not being reading our website.

The Paradigm: Immediately President Buhari won the March 28th election, some corporate hawks like Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola and other shady businessmen started gathering around him. What is your admonition to the new administration?

Omoyele Sowore: Again, I must restate that we are not in the business of advising the Buhari government. I hope you saw our story about Femi Otedola not paying his debt to the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) since 2006, right?

The Paradigm: Do you have any major sponsor or backer?

Omoyele Sowore: I started SaharaReporters using my personal savings. Also, we keep receiving backing from socially conscious investors like Omidyar Network. Before them, we received funds from Ford Foundation. The rest of our revenues comes from advertising.

The Paradigm: The common norm in the Nigerian online media industry is for people to blackmail organizations and people for adverts, favors or some financial reward. What can be done to put a stop to this?

Omoyele Sowore: We are not a blogging regulatory agency. If people don’t want to be blackmailed, they should stop courting blackmailers. We have heard so many of these stories. But many of those who claimed they were being blackmailed were themselves shady characters. But I can tell you this: ultimately, those who set up websites to blackmail people or organizations for cash will be doomed. The browsing public can sense when a website is designed to blackmail and scam.

The Paradigm: Some bloggers are presently facing the justice system for allegedly writing a false story against a bank MD. Do you think the police are right to have charged these bloggers to court? Doesn’t it negate freedom of speech?

Omoyele Sowore: For me, the problem is that they [bloggers] were arrested accused of this nebulous “cybercrime” offense and then were simply detained. They were denied an opportunity to face their accuser(s) in court. It appears that the bank MD in question just went up to a judge and paid for prison cells to keep the bloggers away. It is a form of judicial travesty. Some bank MDs have been known to loot their banks, and they’ve never spent a week in prison. It is really sad that you can purchase justice (or injustice) in the black market like this.

The Paradigm: Senator Bukola Saraki emerged the President of the Senate against the wishes of his party and without the blessings of President Buhari. Do you think his election should be allowed to stand?

Omoyele Sowore: I am not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). My position on Bukola Saraki stems from his corrupt activities, which SaharaReporters has covered for several years now. Mr. Saraki ranks as one of Nigeria’s biggest thieves, and he has evaded justice for so long.

The Paradigm: Senator Saraki’s camp has also accused SaharaReporters of bias. Do you have any personal issues against him?

Omoyele Sowore: In a sense, I have a personal moral issue with anybody whose greed and looting have contributed to Nigeria’s backwardness and degradation. I think it is honestly unfair that former Governor James Ibori is in jail for laundering monies stolen from his state and Saraki is walking free after stealing so much from his father’s defunct bank and from Kwara State. It is unjust. All members of Senator Saraki’s camp know he is a very big thief. The records are there for all to see. It is the reason Saraki may not be able to declare his assets as of 2007. He was richer than most people according to his assets declaration form we obtained.

The Paradigm: What is your view on how vigorous the anti-corruption war has been under the current regime?

Omoyele Sowore: I am very worried that the anti-corruption fight is neither well organized nor well institutionalized. It is akin to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Oputa Panel, which had more entertainment value than any visible substance. President Buhari’s anti-corruption war makes good copy for newspaper reporting, but few big-name corrupt suspects have been hurled before the courts. It is just all hearsay. And of what value is the anti-corruption war in which no one is really hurt?

The Paradigm: Are you planning to relocate to Nigeria anytime soon?

Omoyele Sowore: I keep saying that I never left Nigeria and Nigeria never left me. You are looking for a big announcement that I have relocated when in fact we bump into each other on the streets of Lagos all the time.

The Paradigm: Thank you for talking to The Paradigm.

Omoyele Sowore: You’re welcome. Have a marvelous day.





www.theparadigmng.com/?p=37953

In an exclusive interview with The Paradigm, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, publisher of SaharaReporters revealed never before seen information about himself and his platform. He informed The Paradigm about his childhood and what drove him into activism, his foray into the United States of America, his issues with embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki, Stella Oduah and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Mr. Sowore does not see himself has having “made it big” and says he has no car or house and struggles to pay his bill like everyone else.
Enjoy!

The Paradigm: First of all, thank you for having this time with us. People want to know the man behind Sahara Reporters? What are your motivations? Why do you do what you do? Is the website solely owned by you?

Omoyele Sowore: I am motivated by the desire to exchange information with others. I am naturally opposed to maintaining the status quo, especially where the status quo is unjust. I love to shake things up. So it was a great moment when the Internet offered me the tool to bring about an interactive mass media platform for Nigerians and other Africans. Governments—I mean, shady governments—hate the interaction between citizens. We’ve accomplished that task of creating interaction and massive engagement using a wide variety of tools on the Internet including those of disruptive technology.
To your question about ownership, I founded SaharaReporters but it is owned by all of its users, contributors and writers.


The Paradigm: When was the turning point in your life? When did you decide to start fighting for people’s rights?

Omoyele Sowore: On Christmas Eve in 1980, when I was 10 years old, I was woken up when the Nigerian police force invaded my village over a marketplace dispute. Our people were humiliated, abused and raped that night. The next day more police came and lined up people they suspected of participating in the melee the day before. They hit one of the fathers of the suspects in the village and his tooth fell out. I was angry, but couldn’t do anything about it. But that was the day I decided I would fight back against the federal republic of injustice.

The Paradigm: Could you give us a quick story of how you started and how you made it big?

Omoyele Sowore: I hate to claim that I have made it big. It is a jargon that I think belongs to the hip-hop scene. I am not rich. Like everyone else here, I am struggling to pay my bills. I have nothing to my name. No houses, no cars, no airplanes. And to be honest, I do not want to have any of these luxuries. So, if you are talking about impact, I will humbly leave that to history.

The Paradigm: There seems to be some controversy as regards your migration to the US? How true is it that you were running away from those who threatened to kill you?

Omoyele Sowore: I came to the US in February 1999. Before coming to US, I was well known in activist circles. I waited until the military had been defeated before I left. However, I had health issues that I needed to deal with because of the attack on my person at the University of Lagos in 1994 as well as eight detentions under some of the most harrowing conditions. And these detentions came with torture at the hands of the SSS, the police and the Air Force in Lagos and then Yola [in Adamawa State] after I had completed my NYSC. All of these took a toll on my health. These were well documented. After checking into a Center for treatment of torture victims in New York, I decided to stay in the US. There was no controversy about it. A simple Google search would show you my full story.

The Paradigm: Is it true that you once had lead poisoning injected into you?

Omoyele Sowore: I was injected with an unknown substance at UNILAG during an attack sponsored by the government against us [student union leaders] when I was the President of Students’ Union Government at the University of Lagos. I was admitted into the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for treatment of my physical injuries. On the fifth day the doctors showed me a syringe they said was recovered from the scene of the attack. They wanted to test to find out what it contained. That same night I had to flee LUTH with the help of the Chief Security Officer, one great fellow named “Lawal”. He said the police had come to get me. I was dressed as though I was a dead person being wheeled to the morgue. Lawal took me to his house that night and I used his official telephone to call my aunt in FESTAC Town. When the family heard my voice they were surprised because the police had told my dad earlier in the day that I was dead. That was how my treatment ended abruptly at LUTH. Meanwhile they arrested all the other student leaders, tortured them, and charged them with armed robbery. They wanted to kill me.
When I arrived in the US, I was tested for lead and HIV, just to rule out any possibility that I was carrying any deadly element or virus. I was cleared and have since moved on to better things.

The Paradigm: Tell us how the attack on campus happened?

Omoyele Sowore: As I just explained, I was attacked by campus gangs sponsored to eliminate student leaders opposed to the military. The University of Lagos Student Union had some of the most fearless and, I’d say, vibrant student leaders in Nigeria during the reign of Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.

The Paradigm: Did you finish your degree in UNILAG?

Omoyele Sowore: I finished at UNILAG. I went on to serve in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Yola. They followed me there, got me arrested, detained, and tortured. And when I was released they seized my NYSC certificate. When I arrived in the US, I requested for my transcript after I applied to do a Masters at Columbia University in New York. I was surprised when I saw a copy my transcript. UNILAG claimed I graduated in 1993, but they didn’t release my results until 1995.

The Paradigm: What was your course of study?

Omoyele Sowore: I studied Geography and Planning in the faculty of Environmental Sciences. I majored in Ground Water hydrology.

The Paradigm: Have you added any other qualification?

Omoyele Sowore: Yes, a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University in New York. I graduated in 2003 with a concentration in “Law and Public Policy.”

The Paradigm: So, are you a trained journalist or not? How did you start writing?

Omoyele Sowore: I am not a journalist. It is my fundamental right to communicate freely with others. And you don’t require professional training as a journalist to do so.

The Paradigm: Have any of your sources been unmasked or exposed?

Omoyele Sowore: None that I know of.

The Paradigm: Talking about the administration of Goodluck Jonathan, you were instrumental in bringing corrupt appointees under the regime to public shame and even the outright rejection the former president at the polls. Any regret doing this?

Omoyele Sowore: Not that I did this alone, but I was also instrumental in helping Mr. Goodluck Jonathan to come to power when the “Yar’Adua Cabal” swore they would stop him from assuming office. We deployed every arsenal at our disposal to reveal that then President Umaru Yar’Adua was absolutely incapacitated, and could no longer discharge the duties of his office. In this way, we helped create the momentum that enabled Jonathan to assume presidential power. When Mr. Jonathan began to betray his oath of office and to undermine the interests of the Nigerian people, it was our duty to document all of that. I do not regret any of those acts.

The Paradigm: Looking back, do you think you could have done some things better?

Omoyele Sowore: I wish I had started earlier than this. Could you imagine if we had a platform like this since 1990?

The Paradigm: One of your sworn enemies in the Jonathan administration was Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She has accused SaharaReporters of bias. How true is it?

Omoyele Sowore: I don’t have any sworn enemies that I am aware of, but I have to make a confession. I am one of the young people who had a good knowledge of the way the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) operate. I was lucky to be schooled by the likes of Femi Falana, Bamidele Aturu, Chima Ubani, Gbenga Olawepo, and several others, including the inimitable Gani Fawehinmi (who I should admit wasn’t much of a socialist). These activists exposed the workings of the World Bank and their lackeys to us way before Joseph Stiglitz won the Nobel Prize for saying the same thing or before John Perkins wrote his bestseller, The Economic Hit Man. I knew from the onset that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala was a fluke. Unknown to many, she is one of the longest serving government officials in Nigeria in the last 16 years Mrs. Iweala has been a recurring government decimal. She supervised the ruin of the Nigerian economy; she supported everything that is bad for us. But her biggest flaw is that she hates taking responsibility for her actions. She loves scaring people; she’s a crybaby and a bully. I detested those attributes about her. She will use anything she can find to blackmail anyone that confronts her. I wasn’t scared of her, she didn’t intimidate me, and she didn’t like that. But she was an absolute failure. That’s why the US would not even touch when she wrongly claimed that she was the leading candidate for the World Bank presidency job.

The Paradigm: You are not running a personal vendetta against her?

Omoyele Sowore: A vendetta against her? No! It was our duty to expose how the policies she championed were hurting the economic and social interests of Nigeria, period. She hates anyone who challenges her fake credentials. You imagine a situation where the World Bank won’t even want her near their president’s office, after she had been used to con Nigeria into making huge nebulous debt payments.

The Paradigm: There are some stories you ran that were not exactly the way you reported them. Do you get worried when such things happen? How do you correct them or make amends?

Omoyele Sowore: You did not mention any stories that are not “exactly the way you reported them.” So it’s difficult to answer that particular question.

The Paradigm: There is the issue of ethics, which has always been a source of concern for journalists who feel threatened by the rise of new media. How do you create balance in your stories and how you report them?

Omoyele Sowore: I personally feel that the repetitive echo of “ethics” is sometimes a red herring. Often, the reason the so-called professional, mainstream media are losing out is that they have failed in delivering on their (ethical) promise to society. Some of the self-styled “ethical” journalists are embedded within the corrupt system that has weakened African nations. Some of the greatest violators of “ethics” are those complaining and whining about ethics. The public may be growing tired of so-called ethical journalists who are no longer reporting real news. The public is now increasingly reaching out to those who can deliver on the radical need for sharing significant, critical information.

The Paradigm: Still talking about ethics. During the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari, one of the most popular presenters on SaharaTV named Adeola, hounded President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. She asked him when he was going to seat down. Some critics found that exchange very disturbing. Do you think ‘anything goes’ is the new rule of the game, or when is too far, too far?

Omoyele Sowore: I think the confrontation between our Adeola and President Mugabe was one of the best things to happen to journalism in a long time. The people of Zimbabwe were most excited about the unbelievable, decisive, dynamic and courageous reporting that took place in Abuja. It was revolutionary and that’s what journalism ought to be about. I witnessed the event, and encouraged from the rear. Adeola asked the most important question that any serious reporter ought to ask Mugabe. As you’re aware, Mugabe’s physical health has begun to deteriorate lately. He has been unable to walk unaided, and has read old scripts at the Zimbabwean parliament. Apart from being an amazing reportorial moment, the encounter with Mugabe was a historical moment. I hope we can repeat it.

@op you sabi lie ooo

I dey flex this same glo data no be today, diff area in lagos, Ph self, abj wer I base. the only place I do witness bad network, that is wenever am inside ABU zaria, glo network bad for there.

av bin flexing this package close to a yr now, inshort sharing with my fiancee.

;DNa true now,
cus he no dey fight to collect the EPL title. he is contented with 3rd position.

lolz.

mouriho na bastard. ;DNa true now,
cus he no dey fight to collect the EPL title. he is contented with 3rd position.

lolz.

mouriho na bastard.

in #tubaba voice, no be small thing oooooo.

They should just do fast and jail them, nigerians cant wait any longer to see them behind the bar.

we need a decent and corrupt free society.

so why is saraki lying, what for.

na only you waka com

if zaria is not too far from you.
ABU PG form is out, the offer chemical engineering.
All the best.

The Syrian operative claimed more than 4,000 ISIS gunmen had been smuggled into western nations – hidden amongst innocent refugees.

The ISIS smuggler, revealed the ongoing clandestine operation is a complete success.

Islamic State is believed to be actively smuggling deadly gunmen across the sparsely-guarded 565-mile Turkish border and on to richer European nations, he revealed.

Well, with this new Leaked picture, everything seems confirmed.




http://news360.com/article/311820821

Why not contact BABAMILLIANO himself to tell you the meaning.


Check him out on FB, TWITTER, IG or Pinterest.

KashyBaby:
nope...I'm not searching either but juz curious how does it feel to be married

Take a step towards it, and stop the imagination.

KashyBaby:
i never been there yet…everyday I'm juz getting curious hows it feel to be married

You mean to say, you are still searching for Mr Right.

emmyrichie:
my question is: is the guy from Kogi st? Does he have any point in his genealogy relating to Kogi st?

Has he ever lived in the state for years?

Are there no other credible persons in the state that could be picked as his running mate?

This is getting serious. Pls I don't buy this idea.

That is the 2 igbo that won under the PDP as house of rep in Lagos, cnt go back to their state and contest for the Governor site .

Federal Government set to change colours of four Denominations of the Nigeria currency (notes) soon.
What is your take on this?



cc: lalasticlala

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has been accused by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), of allegedly squandering over N120 billion during his first 100 days in office.

The APC, in a statement on Monday by its chairman, Davies Ikanya, said Governor Wike who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had been merely engaging in falsehood and propaganda.


The party alleged that the money included N30 billion Mr. Wike borrowed shortly after assuming office, the N10 billion left by the previous administration and over N80 billion that accrued from Internally Generated Revenue and the Federation Account.

The party said, “Chief Wike represents everything that should not be found anywhere near the corridors of power. He personifies inaction, profligacy, corruption, maladministration and vendetta.

“Wike has not initiated any meaningful project in Rivers State since he forcibly assumed office in May 29th through the blood of Rivers people and in connivance with the corrupt and demented State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dame Gesila Khan.”

“Apart from setting up the vindictive Judicial Commission of Inquiry and awarding contracts to his companies for the filling of potholes in Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor local government areas, Chief Wike cannot justify the expenditure of the N30 billion he borrowed plus the N10 billion left by the administration of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and over N80 billion that has accrued to the State through Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and from the Federation Account.”

The APC alleged that the governor presented roads constructed by Mr. Amaechi as those he constructed in the last 100 days in office, noting that no quality road could be constructed within six month let alone 100 days.

It also accused the governor of sponsoring a media war aimed at disparaging and decimating Mr. Amaechi’s character as well as visiting various churches to pray for forgiveness for the 100 people killed in the state in order to assume office.

The party said Mr. Wike could only boast of increase of insecurity, kidnapping, robbery and other criminal activities associated with a visionless administration.

“Today, all the initiatives of the Amaechi administration to curb insecurity in Rivers State have been annulled by Wike and his cohorts,” it said.

“The result is that Rivers residents now sleep with two eyes open as kidnapping, such as the case of Vanguard Columnist Donu Kogbara is now the order of the day.”
The APC also berated Mr. Wike for failing to declare his assets contrary to the dictates of the Nigerian Constitution that elected public officers should declare their assets.
It said, “We are, however, not surprised about his reluctance to make his assets public because he knows that if he does so, Rivers people and the entire world would be shocked to know that half of the property in Port Harcourt is owed by Chief Wike and his acolytes due to his greed and insatiable crave for wealth.”

The party lambasted Mr. Wike for refusing to constitute a cabinet, saying the governor preferred “to run the state from his bedroom in collaboration with former first lady, Patience Jonathan and other war lords that installed him as the Rivers State Governor.”



www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/wike-has-squandered-over-n120bn-in-100-days/

Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly and one of the conveners of the Save Nigeria Group, Tunde Bakare, has given a no-holds-barred interview on what he knows about some of Nigeria’s leading political figures.

http://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Tunde-Bakare.jpg?itok=SIl87Xn8

Speaking in the second edition of The Interview magazine, which hits the newsstand this week, Mr. Bakare revealed how President Muhammadu Buhari chose him as running mate in 2011 and the role of the-then National Leader of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), later the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, and the drama that followed.

“When I first spoke to Tinubu about it (after Lai Mohammed had come to tell me that the ACN wanted me to persuade Buhari to be the party’s flag-bearer), he (Tinubu) said, ‘the greatest mobiliser in the South West will be his running mate….’”

It’s a riveting story.
Apart from describing how former President Goodluck Jonathan’s minion, Godswill Orubebe, chased him (Bakare) with a $50,000 “gift”, Bakare ascribed Jonathan’s failure to his lack of capacity. “At best, he worked with some botanical things” before his odyssey to fame and power, said the fiery man of God.

In an interview that he would later say “drained him of virtue”, Mr. Bakare did not mince his words about the leadership tussle in the South West, the challenges before Buhari and his potential role in Buhari’s government.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/09/07/what-i-know-about-buhari-jonathan-tinubu-%E2%80%93-tunde-bakare

Some call it the Buhari bounce. Others describe it as the Buhari effect. Yet some others say it is the Buhari aura. One thing is however crystal clear. Things have not been the same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu Buhari assumed the presidency. A new sheriff has truly come to town.

Exactly 100 days ago, he climbed the podium at Eagle Square in Abuja and got inaugurated as president, 30 years after he had been toppled from power as military head of state. He promised to belong to nobody, and to belong to everybody. It is a pledge that still resonates loudly today, and will surely echo for a long time to come.

On a day like this, you would expect a presidential spokesman to chronicle the achievements of his principal in office. He has turned stone to bread, slain the dragon, and climbed Mount Olympus in ten seconds. But that is not what I want to do. There are some intangible, almost imperceptible achievements, but which run very deep, and are quite fundamental. Those are the ones I’ll rather talk of, while we leave the tangibles till some other day.
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> Oh, he’s escaping. There are no concrete achievements, some wailing wailers would cry. True? Not true. I could have decided to focus on the bloody nose being given to Boko Haram in the North-east, which would see the country rid of insurgency soon, the rallying of leaders of other neighboring countries to deploy a Joint Multinational Task Force, the openness displayed about government finances and the welfare package instituted for states that couldn’t pay salaries, the Treasury Single Account, which would promote transparency and accountability in governance, the disappeared fuel queues, fast-tracking of the cleanup of Ogoni land, reduction in the cost of governance, and many others. But I will not focus on all those. The day cometh!

> When a new sheriff comes into town, disorder gives way to order. Chaos flees. Impunity is swept away. Laxity gives way to diligence, and people change their old, unedifying ways. When you have a Wild, Wild West situation prevailing, the new sheriff comes, and stamps his authority. Old things then pass away, behold, everything becomes new.

> Nigeria had always needed attitudinal change. That was why the Buhari regime launched War Against Indiscipline in the 1980s. And the war was succeeding, till a spanner was thrown in the works through regime change. Buhari was called all sorts of names then: despot, tyrant, iron fist ruler etc But the discerning knew. They understood that it was a change we needed. And that change was postponed for 30 years.

> But what is bred in the bones never goes out through the flesh. Immediately Buhari returned on May 29, Nigerians knew that discipline was back. The bird of the homestead told the ones in the bush, and they all sat up. No unnecessary chirping. Stealing is now corruption, they whispered to themselves. God help you if you get caught.

> Now, consider the situation with electricity and with our refineries. Electricity has climbed to about 5,000 Megawatts. Some refineries, which had not produced a drop of fuel for years, have cracked into life. Even the perennial queues in our petrol stations have disappeared, vanished. Is it because Buhari threw billions of dollars at the problems? No. Those things simply responded to the presence of the new sheriff in town. Those who manned those schedules could afford to be laid back in the past. But not anymore! The music has changed, and the dance steps must follow suit. And would Buhari take credit for the newfound zeal and efficiency? Not the plain and honest man from Daura. The broadcaster Omotayo Omotoso had come to the presidential villa to interview him sometime in July. And she had asked what the magic wand he waved was, that refineries, long comatose, had sprang back to life. The President responded that it would be dishonest of him to have claimed he did anything. He had not touched refineries at all. But unknown to the President, he did something. He had swept into town with his reputation for efficiency, and for achieving results. And the refineries, fuel supply, electricity supply, responded to the new sheriff. May things continue to get better till the change becomes enduring and irreversible. Amen somebody!

> Another imperceptible but momentous achievement is the faith that Nigerians now have in their leader. Yes, the opposition numbers in millions, and naturally so. A political party had held power at the centre for 16 years, and its loyalists would not simply disappear, or get converted overnight. About 12 million Nigerians had voted for the presidential candidate of that party in the March 2015 general elections. Would they just cross over to the winning side? It often takes awhile. But despite all that, a great deal of Nigerians, a vast majority, believe in the new sheriff. And that is great achievement. A big deal. When the citizenry believe in their leader, and almost can swear by him, it is no mean feat. The NOI polls, in a survey in July, revealed that over 70% of Nigerians were happy with the Buhari administration. And I can bet that the percentage would rise, as the months and years roll by. Faith in leadership is something that does not come cheap.

> And this one! Even our foreign reserve knows that a new sheriff is in town, and has responded appropriately. In June, just one month into office, and with the plugging of some leakages and loopholes, foreign reserve surged from $29 billion to $31.89. Holy Moses! Just in one month. Well, that is what a new sheriff can do. He brings sanity, confidence and probity to the system. And you would agree that Nigeria needs such shot in the arm, if we consider recent past experiences, when our treasury was like a bag filled with holes.

> An evidence of the believability of the new sheriff, and the confidence reposed in him, is the disclosure that came this week from Ambassador Godknows Igali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power. He said since Buhari came to office, not a single sabotage of the power infrastructure has been recorded, and it is one of the reasons that electricity supply keeps improving. But did Buhari line up soldiers across the power infrastructure? Did he hire a combination of OPC, Egbesu, MASSOB, MEND and Arewa youths to keep vigil? No. Just believability. Those who are so angry with the country, and would go to any extent to sabotage development, have decided to give the sheriff a chance. They have heard of his reputation. A man that believes in fairness and justice. He would do right to all parts of the country.

> Can you imagine the respect our sheriff commands on the international scene, and how it redounds to the glory of the average Nigerian? American President, Barack Obama said Buhari came onto his job with reputation of integrity and a clearcut agenda. Ambassador Johnny Carson, also during the U.S trip in July, said the Nigerian President was a man of honour and integrity. Everywhere he goes, the Nigerian President is lauded and garlanded for his virtues. And the image of the country is burnished and repositioned in the process. Surely, greater days are ahead.

> Some people say the sheriff did not hit the ground running, as he is yet to constitute his cabinet in 100 days. And I usually ask such people: when you hit the ground, and you land in mud, how do you begin to run immediately? You can only sink deeper, if you attempt to run. The thing to do is to first clear the mud, till you get to terra firma, and then you can begin to run.

> President Buhari has spent time trying to clean the Augean stable he inherited. And he is succeeding. Sheriffs can either come in with guns blazing, shooting malefactors to kingdom come, or simply stamp their authority on the situation by sheer force of personality and presence. The Nigerian sheriff seems to have opted for the second option for now. But we should never forget that sheriffs are licensed to shoot. And those shots can be lethal for lawbreakers. In a matter of months, you can ask those who had bled our treasury to the point of death. They’ll have stories to tell.

Adesina is Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari




http://www.punchng.com/opinion/a-new-sheriff-is-in-town/

GodMode:
Real entrepreneurs don't reveal their secrets..

big fallacy

GodMode:
I can't relate to it.. I make $1863 per day online.. As long as Naira keeps falling I keep gaining

put us on the line bro

They are all welcome

retepmurt:
Moving to a more organized party. Mimiko to follow suit.

For mimiko, if he move na him mumu pass be that.

you betray someone that fight vigorously for you to reclaim your mandate, by refusing to honor your own side of the agreement.


i even dough it, he will stay put in PDP, or move to KOWA.

Ladies simply love D’banj and that is not a lie. The Koko Master, as he is fondly called, has not lacked female attention especially since he came into limelight some years back.

He has been linked with not just a few babes, including actress, Genevieve Nnaji; Jennifer Obayuwana, daughter of Polo boss, John Obayuwana; billonaire’s daughter, Adama Ndimi and South African diva, Bonang Matheba. But then, none of them has been able to ‘tame’ the 35-year old ‘white lion’, as he calls himself.

In a chat with Saturday Beats, the Koko Master revealed he had wanted to get married at the age of 30 but he has yet to do so five years after.

“While growing up, there were some goals I set for myself and at 35; I have accomplished most of them. Sadly, I have not accomplished the primary goals. The main one is marriage. By now, I thought I would have been married. I had always thought I would have a child before the age of 30. That fantasy did not become a reality because I wanted to strengthen my brand. I wanted to be sure that I was on the right path career-wise because as a kid, you need to crawl before you can walk and eventually run. I wanted to be sure I surpass all boundaries and reach a certain stage where I can easily balance my work and family. That is the main reason why I am not married.”

He however said that he is proud of his other achievements as they have surpassed his widest imaginations.

“Apart from marriage, one other thing I desire to have is the Grammy but that is already in the pipeline and it would be acquired soon. I didn’t know I would meet Kanye West while I was dreaming big as a child. But I dreamt that I would go places and people would hear my song all over the world. I also dreamt that Caucasians would dance to my music. I dreamt I would top music charts across the world and all that has happened. I have dreamt of performing in front of thousands of people on a global stage and I have achieved that. For all these I am grateful to God,” he said.



http://www.punchng.com/entertainment/saturday-beats/why-i-am-unmarried-dbanj/

President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to go outside the permutations of political enthusiasts to appoint key officers of the administration was a fallout of the endless squabbling and the fait accompli that was forced on him by political opponents of his favorite for the post, former Governor Tunde Fashola

The disappointments by political stakeholders from the south nonetheless, the appointment of northern minorities and Christians into key positions by the Buhari administration is meanwhile receiving mixed welcome from the Northern minorities.

Buhari had on Thursday sidestepped the favourite nominees including Fashola and former Governor Ogbonnonya Onu to appoint Engr. David Lawal, the national vice-chairman, Northeast, of the All Progressives Congress, APC as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.

Also appointed was the former newspaper editor and banker, Alhaji Abba Kyari as chief of staff while the taciturn disciplinarian and erstwhile chief of staff to Buhari, Col. Hammed Ali (retd.) was appointed as the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service.

Fashola had been widely touted for the position largely on account of his organisational acumen and strides in Lagos as governor. However, local political opponents of the former governor, especially within the All Progressives Congress, APC were said to have been largely uncomfortable with his possible emergence as chief of staff, a position they believed would have given him the impetus to dominate the Southwest APC political leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Though Tinubu has recently denied his personal involvement in the campaign against Fashola that was mounted through publication of allegedly inflated contract awards by his administration, his close associates were, however, known to have deployed other political schemes to knock Fashola out of contention for either the position of SGF or Chief of Staff.

The ultimate weapon that was used in neutralising Fashola, Saturday Vanguard learnt, was the nomination of a former commissioner in the Fashola administration as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the president but delegated to the office of the vice-president.

Mr. Ade Ipaye, SAN who worked as attorney general and commissioner for justice in the second term of the Fashola administration, it was gathered has been pencilled down as the deputy chief of staff to the president with responsibilities of working under the vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

The deployment of Mr. Ipaye, it was gathered, became the political masterstroke that was used in knocking Fashola out of reckoning in the stiff race for Chief of Staff.

Sources privy to the development disclosed that those against Fashola took advantage of the fact that Buhari is bent on operating a single presidency with only one chief of staff who would oversee the president’s affairs and a deputy chief of staff who would oversee the duties of the vice-president. Given that Ipaye was projected to work with Osinbajo, it became untenable to have another Lagosian in the person of Fashola work as chief of staff.

“You cannot have two of them from Lagos working as chief of staff and deputy chief of staff in the same government,” a source privy to the development disclosed.

Ipaye’s choice as deputy chief of staff was also logical given that before his appointment into the Fashola cabinet he had worked as special assistant to Osinbajo when the latter was commissioner for justice and attorney general in Lagos State in the Tinubu administration.

Meanwhile, despite mutterings in some sections of the country about perceived geopolitical lopsidedness in the appointments so far made by the president, the appointment of Mr. Lawal as SGF was at the weekend being welcomed as another elixir by Buhari to soothe the long cries of marginalisation by northern minorities.

Mr. Lawal from Adamawa State, a pastor and missionary, became the first Christian from the North to get the high profile position of SGF. His appointment sources said flowed from the comfort and confidence the president has in him arising from his long association with the president.

Lawal was a leading supporter of Buhari ahead of the presidential primaries and helped to ensure that Buhari defeated Atiku Abubakar in the APC presidential primaries in Adamawa State and the Northeast.

Besides his integrity and political capacity that recommended him for the office, Mr. Lawal’s emergence as SGF was at the weekend also receiving critical acclaim by northern minorities on account of the long history of marginalisation of Northern Christians into sensitive positions in the recent past.

However, one northern leader was not impressed yesterday saying that it was a move to lure the disenchanted northern minorities back to the agenda of one north.

“This is just a move to woo the northern minorities back to the Hausa Fulani agenda before they will again humiliate us after they have achieved their purpose,” the northern leader a former member of the National Assembly and presidential aide told Saturday Vanguard yesterday.

Some have alleged that it was part of the scheme to reintegrate the northern minorities into the One North philosophy that the Northwest through Governor Aminu Tambuwal gave rabid support for the emergence of Yakubu Dogara as speaker of the House of Representatives.

Apparently alluding to a deliberate effort to rebuild the relationship between the northern minorities and the Hausa Fulani when he received a delegation of Dogara’s Sayawa Community of Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of Bauchi State who paid him a thank you visit in appreciation of his role in the installation of Dogara as speaker, Tambuwal had said:

“The relationship between people of Sokoto and Bauchi States was amplified in the First Republic when the first Prime Minister of Nigeria, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa worked in harmony with the leader of his party and then Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahamdu Bello.”



- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/sgf-how-fashola-was-schemed-out/#sthash.aFJsmwfC.dpuf

Jobberman in collaboration with Ventures Africa, Africa’s foremost online platform for news, analysis and discussion about African business, policy, innovation, and lifestyle, has just released the List of the Top 100 Companies for Millennials to Work in Nigeria, based on employee satisfaction.

Every generation creates a new flock of young adults that brings nuanced energy, expertise and awareness to the workplace. Born between 1982 and 2003, millennials account for about 60 percent of Nigeria’s population and a substantial segment of the workforce. Tech savvy and innovative, this new class of employee thrives on peer motivation and challenge.

Accounting for 80 percent of new intake in companies like Nigerian Breweries, millennials possess consumer-oriented perspectives that causes them to evaluate companies based on alignment to their own personal values and ambition. According to our survey of millennials in the workforce, company prestige ranked as the most significant factor in job consideration. This was followed by passion, with financial remuneration ranked third. Although the survey revealed that millennials are attracted to high financial remuneration, they are less likely to stay for long periods at a job if they do not achieve work-life balance or feel fulfilled.

Amid global trends of millennial influence in changing corporate culture, young Nigerians demonstrate that they, too, are looking for jobs that are purposeful, exciting and inspiring, as well as the companies that can provide them.

Methodology

In collaboration with Jobberman, Nigeria’s largest jobs search engine, we conducted a two-stage survey to find the best places to work for Nigeria’s millenials. The first stage comprised 335 companies with over 6,000 respondents from entry level to executive level between the ages of 20 to 35, 65 percent of whom were gainfully employed at the time of the survey in 2014.

The index was calculated by the weighted average of each respondent’s top five companies. This was selected using parameters such as company culture, dream company, staff welfare, gender equality, government institution, company’s prestige, salary, and non-salary benefits.

The second stage of the survey accounted for the level of satisfaction and happiness of employees. This index was cal-
culated by the weighted average of each response, which was selected using parameters such as level of satisfaction, salary consideration, level of contentment, career growth, concerns outside work, and work-life balance.

For the first stage of the survey, the oil and gas companies were once again highly ranked in a majority of the categories. Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was first in allbut one category – “Government Institution to Work For” – where the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) came out on top. However, telecommunications and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies also fared well. MTN and Nigerian Breweries emerged at the forefront among organisations in these categories. The list which follows reflects the public’s perception of firms from different sectors. It also illuminates the perception of millennials who work in these organisations and partook in the survey. This year, FMCG dominated, while firms from banking, telecommunication, oil and gas, and technology were represented significantly. Konga Online Shopping Ltd was voted the number one company to work for in Nigeria, based on employee response.

1. Konga Online Shopping

Konga

Konga is Nigeria’s leading online retailer and marketplace. Founded in 2012 as an e-commerce start-up, it has grown into a $100 million company with almost 1,000 employees. Konga maintains an open-door policy that allows the staff to feel comfortable giving opinions and sharing ideas. Chief Executive Sim Shagaya also revealed that employees own 10 percent of the company’s equity. Nneka Obiano, a marketing associate notes, “I feel very happy working here and would advise jobseekers to apply when there are openings. Konga does not only bring out the creative part in you but ensures that you enjoy work-life balance.”

2. Drugfield Pharmaceuticals Ltd

drug

Drugfield Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a wholly owned Nigerian pharmaceutical company. It started by producing dosage forms of dermatological antibiotic and antifungal preparations in 1993, but now sells a wide range of products. Drugfield is the first Nigerian and African company to manufacture newborn cord-care antiseptic gel, Chlorhexidine Digluconate 7.1, which prevents umbilical cord infections in newborn babies.

3. Insight Communications Ltd

Insight communications

Insight Communications Ltd is one of Nigeria and West Africa’s largest advertising agencies, and the most lauded advertising agency in Nigeria. Their services include advertising, public relations advisory, media planning and buying sales promotion, direct marketing and brand development. The company, with a staff strength of 106, currently services some of Nigeria’s most esteemed brands such as Nigerian Breweries Plc. and Jumia.

4. NEMA: The National Emergency Management Agency

NEMA

(NEMA) is responsible for managing disasters in Nigeria. With offices in each of Nigeria’s 36 states, the agency is the government’s principal instrument, in all situations relating to the environment and disaster relief. Our survey revealed that in addition to handling some of Nigeria’s more complex emergency situations, NEMA also provides a favourable working environment for its younger staff.

5. Authentic Value Nigeria Ltd

Authentic Value

Established in 2010, Authentic Value Nigeria Ltd is an Information and Communication Technology company engaged in the distribution, implementation and deployment of hardware, software and enterprise solutions. The company, with staff strength of over 55, has worked with esteemed brands such as MTN, Airtel, Glo and Etisalat. It trains its staff to provide technical support which is usually conducted in collaboration with manufactures such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, Dell, Veritas and Microsoft, APC, Tally, and Epson. Dorcas Oyedeji, human resource person, notes, “Aside from remuneration, we are also rewarded for our performance and also paid when we have to work overtime.”

6. Channels

photo

Channels Television is the leading independent TV station in Nigeria. Boasting an audience of over 20 million viewers and some 340 employees, Channels TV has bagged the “Best Television station of the Year” award in Nigeria for the last nine years consecutively. Though licensed in 1993, Channels TV made its first transmission on July 1st 1995. Despite a temporary shut down by the Nigerian government in 2008, the station has been growing in strength ever since.



7. Nigerian Breweries Plc

nigerian-breweries-logo

Nigerian Breweries Plc. is the first and largest brewing company in Nigeria. With over 3,000 employees, the company has a reputation for paying its staff very well. It also provides spousal and children’s benefits such as free healthcare, as well as scholarships for university. Its employees are encouraged to have life outside of the office.

8. Google Nigeria

Google has come a long way from its dorm room start in 1998 to its present day fancy headquarters in Mountain View, California – better known as the Googleplex. Today, Google has more than 70 offices in over 40 countries around the globe, including Nigeria. Google Nigeria is a multinational corporation specialising in internet related services and products. Google Nigeria carries the global brand’s way of doing work. Google’s website says: “Our offices and cafes are designed to encourage interactions between Googlers within and across teams and to spark conversation about work as well as play.”

9. Sahara Group

sahara-group

Sahara Group is a leading, privately owned energy and infrastructure multinational with operations in the upstream, midstream and downstream infrastructure and power sectors. It has offices in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, UAE, Switzerland, Singapore, and United Kingdom, and boasts over 600 employees. As of 2012, the company’s annual turnover stood at $11.4 million. Sahara ‘s senior management notes: “At Sahara, we operate in an environment where individuals are not only encouraged to strive for excellence in their work, but to also enjoy the experience.”

10. The Nation Newspaper

The-Nation

One of Nigeria’s national newspapers, The Nation covers politics and business while also delving into lifestyle, arts, and sports. The company has about 200 staff and prints its newspapers simultaneously in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. The company claims its 2014 turnover was $15 million (3 billion Naira). Almost all the top executives working with the Nation newspaper have, at one point, worked with other media companies. For instance, the current managing director of the company was also the managing director of Thisday newspaper. “I have attended training sponsored by The Nation; I am not just a reporter but also a multimedia person. At the Nation, you are not being restricted to doing what you can do. We are allowed to push our ideas,” said David Lawal, a staff member and online reporter for The Nation.

11. Pwc

12. Fidelity Bank Plc

13. Chicken republic

14. Standard chartered bank

15. Deloitte

16. Honeywell Flourmills Plc

17. Mantrac

18. Nigerian bottling company Ltd

19. General electric (GE)

20. Mainstreet bank limited

21. Sabmiller Nig Plc

22. Guinness Nigeria Plc

23. ARM Plc

24. Chevron Nigeria limited

25. Lafarge cement Nig Plc

26. Schlumberger Nigeria Limited & Smile Communication Nigeria

27. Crusader & Sterling pension

28.Promasidor

29. Leadway assurance co. ltd.

30. Unilever Nigeria Plc

31. Fidson healthcare plc

32. Agip oil company

33. Union Bank Nigeria Plc

34. Helios towers Nigeria

35. Maersk line Nigeria

36. Nigerdock Nigeria Plc
37. NLNG
38. GLAXOSMITHLINE (GSK)
39. Procter & Gamble
40. Airtel Nigeria
41. CFAO
42. Ernst and Young
43. Jumia Nigeria
44.Covenant University
45. FCMB
46. fhi360
47. Heirs Holdings
48. Samsung Electronics West Africa
49. Interswitch Limited
49. MTN
50. Mansard Insurance
50. Wakanow
51. Stanbic IBTC Bank
52. INEC
53. Nigcomsat
54. Sterling Bank Plc
55. APM TERMINALS
56. Guaranty Trust Bank
57. GZ INDUSTRIES
58. MRS OIL AND GAS LTD
59. Accenture
59. PZ Cussons
60. KPMG
61. COSCHARIS MOTORS LIMITED
62. Total E&P
63. UAC
64. Etisalat Nigeria
65. BAT
66. Multichoice
67. Oando Plc
68. Diamond Bank Plc
69. Benin Electricity DIstribution Company
70. KEYSTONE BANK
71. SPDC
72. Ecobank Nigeria Limited
73. Ericsson
74. Chams
75. Skye Bank plc
76. Wema Bank Plc
77. Consolidated breweries
78. Grand Oak Limited
79. Saro Agrosciences
80. Access Bank
81. Dangote Group
82. Saipem
83. Mutual Benefits Life Assurance
84. Coca Cola
85. Virgin Atlantic
86. Globacom Limited
87. BRISTOW HELICOPTER
88. FBN
89. Zenith Bank Plc
90. CHI LIMITED
91. Toyota
92. UBA Plc
93. CNSSL
94. 7up Bottling Co Plc
95. FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria PLC
96. Nestlé
97. ExxonMobil contract
97. Nigerian Customs
98. Julius Berger Nigeria PLC
99. SANOFI
100. NHIS



http://www./blog/jobberman-ventures-africa-100-best-companies-for-millennials-to-work-in-nigeria/?utm_source=LIB&utm_medium=SponsoredPost&utm_campaign=100Companies

@op this is cokerstic

But can they follow this kind of advice.

because this those not promote, unculture, unclad or cleavage, equality in marriage, baby mama etc

Guys dnt give a damn anymore, again is better to knw and accep me for who I am than forming one useless paparazi for you.

and now babe are cheap, so why the form, if this one no gree, knock the nx door

Happiness87:
see stupidity

if PDP can force you to sign fake results, APGA can as well force you to testify on their behalf

I dnt knw why you pple will jst rush to comment, without going thru the article first..

There is ni where in the news, the prof sign, they force him to, but he did not, INEC brought someone else to sign and announce the result.

sammysammy111:
heaven

Oyo for you

sammysammy111:
I no where its coming from

Where

dopeJemi:
Then it's not possible

Lolz